Non-accidental violence toward sport officials: a scoping review

Front Sports Act Living. 2026 Mar 25;8:1765769. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1765769. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

There is yet to be a focused review and synthesis on non-accidental violence toward sport officials despite a surge in academic inquiry into the topic over the last 25 years. As such, the aim of this review is to synthesize what is known about non-accidental violence toward sport officials. Articles were selected in March 2025. 32 articles were included in this scoping review with 13 countries and 7 sports represented. 43.7% of studies used qualitative methods, and only 4.1% of the total sample were women officials. Sport officials frequently experienced non-accidental violence, in particular verbal abuse from athletes, coaches, and spectators; organizations were identified as key contributors to the continuation of the problem. Non-accidental violence had serious consequences for sport officials including depression and attrition, particularly for those with limited organizational and/or social support. We recommend future researchers prioritize vulnerable and marginalized sport officiating groups and diversify methodological choices through employing in-depth qualitative methods, using robust demographic questionnaires, and expanding research questions.

PMID:41958817 | PMC:PMC13057381 | DOI:10.3389/fspor.2026.1765769